" It is a man's duty to have books. A library is not a luxury, but one of the necessaries of life. "
— Henry Ward Beecher
Literature
The Lennon Play: In His Own Write.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1968. [Sixties Culture] FIRST EDITION. Small octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.35; [3], blank. Publisher's textured purple covers in a pictorial dust-wrapper, priced at 16s. A superb, fine copy. Book Collector No.287 (p32-62) 'The Sixties'. More
![En Attendant Godot [Waiting For Godot]. Samuel BECKETT](/pictures/thumb/54808.jpg?v=1569253767)
En Attendant Godot [Waiting For Godot].
Paris: Les Editions De Minuit, 1952. [Drama] FIRST TRADE EDITION. Octavo (18 x 11cm), pp.163; [1], blank; [1], note; [3], blank. White card covers printed in black and blue, advertisements for 'Malloy' and 'Malone Meurt' to rear cover, with photo of the author. Title and rear leaves unopened (uncut edges)..... More
The Hostage.
London: Methuen and Co. Ltd., 1958. [Modern Drama] FIRST EDITION of the play in book form. Octavo (18 x 12cm), pp.92. Publisher's black cloth lettered in gilt to spine, photographic dust-wrapper priced at 10/6. Top edge dusty, jacket with a few chips and tears, sunned to spine; very good... More
The Uneven Road.
London: John Murray, 1955. [Military history] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.viii; 335; [1]. Publisher's yellow cloth, titles in dark brown to spine, pictorial dust-jacket with printed price of 21s. net. Illustrated with two maps and six double sided photographic plates. Internally fine, light offsetting to endpapers and spotting..... More
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.
Oxford: Printed by the Shakespeare Head Press and Published for the Press by Basil Blackwell, 1931. [Romantic Fiction] LIMITED LARGE PAPER EDITION of 1000 copies, this being number 303. Two volumes, large octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.282, pp.278. Illustrated with etched frontispiece to each volume, from a drawing by Jack..... More
The Balcony.
London: Cobden-Sanderson, 1934. [Literature] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.248. Publisher's red cloth, titles in gilt to spine, dust-jacket designed by John Nash. Generally internally clean and bright apart from a small stain affecting four leaves towards the rear of the book. Edges toned, a little dusty to top..... More
Selected Articles on Censorship of the Theater and Moving Pictures. The Handbook Series III, Volume 6.
New York, NY: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1931. [Film and Theatre] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.385; [3]. Publisher's brown cloth, gilt titles to spine, dust-jacket with printed price of $2.40 to spine. Very light spotting and browning. Jacket browned with some small chips to edges. A remarkably well-preserved..... More
Beyond the Fringe.
London: Souvenir Press, 1963. [Humour] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.96. Publisher's dark blue cloth, orange titles to spine, photographic dust-jacket with printed price of 13s. 6d. With six double sided black and white photographic plates. Light spotting to edges. Wrapper slightly edge worn, some marking to rear panel..... More
Spook Stories.
London: Hutchinson, no date [1940]. [Strage Tales / Macabre] Part of Hutchinson's Booklover's Library (No.14). First edition in this format. Octavo (18 x 12cm), pp.288; [4], advertisements. Publisher's oatmeal cloth lettered in blue, green dust-wrapper priced at 2s. Two neat stamps (name and date) to flyleaf else a lovely clean..... More
Across The Stream.
London: John Murray, 1919. First Edition. Octavo. pp.314. Bound in publisher's green cloth, with titles in black to front board and spine. Binding is rubbed and bumped to corners and spine ends, with a slight lean, and a little spotting to front edge of text block. Internally clean and free..... More
Trent's Own Case.
New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1936. [Crime Mystery] FIRST US EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[10] 324 [2]. Publisher's orange cloth with blue titles to spine and upper. Top edge blue, others untrimmed. With the dust-jacket designed by Hawkins, priced at $2.00. The usual wood-grain pattern browning to preliminaries..... More
Trent's Own Case.
London: Constable and Co., 1936. [Crime Mystery] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.[6] 314. Publisher's orange cloth with blue titles to spine and upper. Top edge blue. Toronto bookseller's stamp to flyleaf. Erasure of heavy pencil inscription also to flyleaf. Gently toned throughout. Only very minor rubbing to cloth;..... More
Trent Intervenes.
London: Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1938. [Crime Mystery] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.280. Publisher's blue cloth with white titles to spine. Top edge blue. Some browning to edges and endpapers, with gentle occasional spotting. Spine toned, with some rubbing and marking to cloth. Very good. A collection of..... More
Duane and the Art Murders.
London: Cassell and Company, Limited, 1939. [Dective novel] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[8]; 246; [2]. Publisher's red cloth, titles in black to spine, splendid dust-jacket designed by Ronald Lampitt with printed price of 3'6 net to spine. Bookplate detailing provenance to pastedown. Offsetting to endpapers, spotting and dustiness..... More
contribute to 'The Evening Standard Book of Strange Stories'
London: Hutchinson and Co., no date [1934]. [Strange Tales - Omnibus] FIRST EDITION. Large octavo (21 x 13cm), pp.1024. Publisher's red cloth blocked in black, illustrated green dust-wrapper. An unquestionably fine copy with some light wear to spine tips and a few tiny nicks. A comprehensive collection of eighty-eight wierd..... More
The Decoy.
London: William Collins Ltd., 1927. [Crime Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.[ii]; 251; [1], imprint. Publisher's burgundy cloth in illustrated jacket priced at 3/6 (title was likely published at 7/6, although we are certain this particular jacket has always been with this book). Some trivial dustiness handling and..... More
Peckover.
London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1934. [Modern Literature]. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.[xii]; 297; [1], blank; [10], advertisements. Publisher's navy blue cloth in striking pictorial jacket by Fraser, priced 3/6, showing the confused Gilbert Peckford's haunting and bloodshot reflection. A clean copy of the book, bright wrapper with a...... More
Sand and Canvas; a Narrative of Adventures in Egypt, with a Sojourn Among the Artists in Rome.
London: Charles Gilpin, 1849. [Travel Memoirs] FIRST EDITION, an association copy. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.[4] xii; 370 [2]. With eight engraved plates, including a frontispiece, after drawings by the author, six being hand-coloured, each with a tissue guard. Pencil note to verso of fly-leaf stating: 'Wm. Bevan - my..... More
The Holy Bible. A Critical Commentary and Paraphrase on the Old and New Testament and the Apocrypha.
London: Richard Priestley, 1822. FINELY BOUND. Quarto (32 x 26 x 28cm). Bound in contemporary diced tan calf, gilt titles on black calf squares to spine, all edges marbled, marbled endpapers. Frontispiece engraving of Bishop Patrick to volume I, folding map of the Holy Lands in volume V. Bookplate of..... More
Seven Keys to Baldpate.
London: Mills and Boon, 1914. [Meta-Mystery Novel] FIRST UK EDITION. Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.309 [35]. Publisher's maroon cloth with gilt titles to spine. Flyleaf glued to pastedown in an attempt to hide this copy's ex-library heritage. Toned to edges and preliminaries; well thumbed. Moderate rubbing to cloth; corners bumped..... More
The 7th Function of Language.
London: Harvill Secker, 2017. [Political Thriller] SIGNED FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH. Octavo (23 x 14cm), pp.[8] 390 [4]. SIGNED by the author in black ink to red preliminary leaf. Publisher's red paper-covered boards, with matching endpapers. A red '7' to fore-edge. With the photographic dust-jacket, priced at £16.99. 'Signed by..... More
The Blackbird's Nest. A Tale for Youth.
Philadelphia, PA: Johnson and Warner, 1812. [Children's Antiquarian]. EARLY EDITION. Vigesimo-quarto (13 x 9cm), pp.36. With occasional vignette wood engravings. Recently re-backed in matching grey card with original grey illustrated paper covers laid over. Remarkably crisp and clean, with some wear to original cover edges. Very good. A fine wholesome..... More
The Black-Eyed Blonde. A Philip Marlowe Novel.
New York, NY: The Mysterious Bookshop / Henry Holt, 2014. [Detective mystery] DELUXE EDITION, SIGNED by the author. Number 86 of 100 copies thus. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.[xii]; 290; [4]. Publisher's glit-stamped black leather over marbled paper covered sides, light grey endpapers. Fine / as new. A new novel..... More
Double Cross.
London: Doubleday, 2008. [Young Adult Fiction] SIGNED FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.[10] 434 [4]. SIGNED by the author in black ink to title page. Publisher's black cloth with silver titles to spine. With the black and white dust-jacket, priced at £12.99. Slightly toned to edges, lightly handled. Near..... More
Lorna Doone. A Romance of Exmoor
London, Sampson Low, Marston and Co. circa 1910. FINELY BOUND. Crown octavo, pp.517. Photogravure of the author as frontispiece, from a photograph by Fred Jenkins, with tissue guard. 'School Prize' binding of full dark blue calf, extra gilt with gilt crest of Trafalgar House Winchester to upper board, marbled edges..... More